Liquid-agitating mechanism



1,613 391 Ja 4, 1927- o. w. GREENE LIQUID AGITATING MECHANISM Filed August 50, 1923 ATTORNEY'S Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

OTTO w. GREENE, OF AMHERST TOWNSHIP, LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY KESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE PFAUDLER COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

A conronarron on NEW YORK.

mourn-nerra'rmo mnonmrsia.

Application filed August 80, 1923. Serial No. 660,147.

My invention relates to liquid agitating mechanisms and more particularly relates to means comprising an improved impeller adapted to be mounted withm a liquid con- 6 taining tank and to be rotated therein to efliciently agitate the contents of the tank in a particular manner.

One object of my invention is to rovide an improved impel r for such a mec anlsm which will be made in a single piece and which can be used in a liquid containing tank to agitate such liquid, the liquid being rawn into the impeller axially thereof and thrown out peripherally without churning the 11 1nd which, as in the case of milk, would ot erwise produce deleterious effects, such as causing the milk to be partly churned lIltO butter.

Another object of my invention is to provide for such a mechanism an improved impeller which, when rotated in a liquid, and the level of the liquid being low, will not drawjn air and mix the air with the liquid by the so-call ed churning action.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will be made clear from the description of a specific embodiment thereof which follows, and in which description reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

Referrin to the drawings;

Fig.- 1 SiOWS a vertical medial sectional view of a container in which is mounted an embodiment of my invention, the impeller and some of the other related parts being therein shown inside elevation.

Fig. 2 shows a front elevational view of the impeller in my invention.

Fig. 3, shows a sectional view of the impeller on the line 3---3 of Fig. 2, which follows the vane 12.

Fig. 4 shows a sectional'view of the impeller taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 which follows the Vane 14.

Referring now to thedifi'erent figures in the drawings, in all of which like parts are.

indicated by like reference characters, at 1,

I show a liquid containing tank having cylindrical side walls 2 and a downwardly 60 dished bottom wall 3, the said side walls being perforated at 4 to admit a rotatable shaft 5 mounted in a bearing 6, the bearing 6 extending through the walls of the tank.

A pulley 7 is affixed to the end of the shaft 5, and is adapted to be driven by a belt to rotate the shaft. Rigidly secured on the end of the shaft 5, I provide an impeller 9, which contains an axially disposed internally threaded recess 8, the said threaded recess being adapted to be screw threaded onto the threaded end 10 of the shaft. The impeller 9 is preferably cast integrally. and comprises a concavo-convex bowl backing element 11 having forwardly extending flange vanes 12 and 14 projecting fromthe concave face thereof. 4

When the impeller is rotated the liquid will cling tightly against the concave face of the backing element and will be guided evenly from the peripheral edge thereof. The vanes 12 'and 14, in the embodiment shown, curved somewhat in the form of a letter S. The vane 12 extends entirelyacross the inner concave face of the backing element with its mid-point at the axis of the said bowl. This vane is of greatest width on its liquid engaging side faces, preferably at the bowl axial portion, and decreases in width towards its ends 13 at the peripheral edge of the bowl. The vane 14 is formed in two similar sections which are widest on their liquid engaging side faces, which are adjacent the vane 12 at the axial portion of the bowl, and which decrease in width toward their ends 13 at the peripheral edge of the bowl. The vane 12 at the central portion of its liquid engaging face is wider than the adjacent faces of the vane 14, and is formed integrally with a central boss 24 which extends from the concave .face of the backing element.

The shape of the vanes could be varied I from that shown, and the operation of the F impeller will be efficient if the vanes do not extend entirely to the peripheral edge of bowl so that when rotate the backing element 11, as the'liquid will adhere to the backing element due to the concave shape of the bowl face.

Although. I show,four vanes extending outwardly from the axis to the periphery, or as before described two S-shaped vane elements, I may provide any suitable number of such vanes extending from the center to the periphery of the bowl, the number being immaterial so far as the principle of my. mvention is concerned. Each of the vanes 12 and 14 is curved gradually, there being no sharp points or e g churning eifect, and the vane faces being so formed that they continuall recede clockwise toward the peripher o the rotatable d as used in Fig. 2 counter-clockwise, liquid engaged by the vanes 12 will be cammed outwardly b the forward liquid engagin faces 14 o the vanes, no churning or eddying of the liquid being caused from the axial point, of liquid entr in front of theimpeller to the peripheral y disposed discharge points. 5

I find that with an impeller so formed-that the liquid is drawn into-theimpellerjfrom in front thereof, in a stream of gradually decreasing cross sectional area and the liquid is then engaged by the vanes and cammed by the vane and bowl faces peripherally,

the liquid spreading over the concave inner face of the bowl as well as on the liquid engaging faces of the vanes and that consequently 1n an impeller of this type although a great deal of liquid is passed throu h the impeller, it is projected therefrom su stantially in a continuous sheet emerging from all points of the periphery of the impeller, the sheet being relatively thin since the velocity of the liquid is increased over the velocity of liquid as it enters the impeller as before described.

I find that by agitating milk during cooling or heating as when storing or Pasteurizing, with an impeller of this type, the milk is handled so smoothly and with such a lack of churning effect that little or no so-called cream-plug is produced in "the milk thus processed. The same mode of op erating likewise contributes to similar advantageous results when 0 erating on other liquid materials than mil r, andI do not therefore limit my invention to a milk agitating mechanism.

If desired other forms of vanes could be used with the backing element described, and they can be formed in such sha e as to perform a camming action, such as described when rotated in one direction, and to create a greater agitation when turned at the same speed in the opposite direction. Such great er agitation is desirable in some methods of heating and cooling certain food products, where it is nece to incorporate air therewith during the agitation, and also 7 more efl'ectivel es to create :1-

where it is necessary to have an agitator which will violently break up liquid and allow the entrained air to leave the liquic Referring again to the drawings, I show an outlet 15 for the tank 1 disposed in the bottom 3 thereof and which outlet has a valve 16 controlled by a manually operated handle element 17, and at the side of the tank I provide an inlet for liquid comprismg an opening 18 and a pipe 19 together with a valve 20, indicator conduit 21 and supply plpe 22. I also show about the walls of the tank in the lower portion thereof a thermal jacket 23. These auxiliary parts form no part of my invention and my invention is not limited to structures employing such parts.

When it is desired to operate the apparatus in my invention the liquid is delivered into the tank 1 in any suitable way as by passing it through the supply pipe 22 and then through the inlet 18, or by pouring the milk into the top of the tank and the shaft 5 is then rotated by coupling the pulley 7 to a motor such as by the use of a belt, and the motor then rotates the shaft 5 and at the same time rotates the impeller 9 rigidly mounted thereon. The liquid in the tank at such time is then agitated in the manner before described.

Having thus described my invention in a numerous extensive departures may be made from the embodiment herein illustrated and described but without departing from the principle of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A rotatable liquid agitating impeller comprising a backing element, having a concave face and substantially S-shaped vanes extending transversely across and pro'ecting from the concave face of said bac ing element, the liquid engaging faces of said vanes being widest at the axis of said backing element.

2. An integrally formed liquid agitating impeller comprising a backin element having a concave face and su stantially S- shapcd vanes extending across the axis of said backing element and projecting from the concave face thereof.

3. In a rotatable liquid a itating impeller, a substantially bowl s aped backing member, substantially S-shaped vanes ex tending from the center of the backing member to its periphery and cast integrally therewith, said vanes being recedingly curved throughout their length, the concave surface of the back-plate, except for said particular embodiment, I am aware that vanes, being substantially smooth so as to such concave face and such peripheral portions, the liquid en aging faces of said vanes bein Widest at t e axis of said backing mem er.

4. An integrally formed liquid agitating impeller comprising a backing element, having a concave face and substantially S-shaped vanes extending across the axis of said backing element and projecting from the concave face thereof, the li uid engaging faces of said vanes being wi said backing element.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this 18th day of August, 1923.

OTTO W. GREENE.

est at the axis of 

